Which statement expresses the additive identity property?

Which statement expresses the additive identity property?

• A. Adding zero to a number does not change it
• B. Multiplying by zero yields zero
• C. Adding one changes the value
• D. Subtracting zero changes the value

Answer: (A)

Additive identity means that zero acts as the identity element for addition: adding zero to any number leaves that number unchanged. The statement “adding zero to a number does not change it” expresses this idea exactly. The other ideas point to different properties: multiplying by zero gives zero is about multiplication, not addition; adding one changes the value, which isn’t about the identity; and subtracting zero leaves the value the same, but subtraction is a different operation, so the clearest description of the additive identity is the addition with zero.

Additive identity means that zero acts as the identity element for addition: adding zero to any number leaves that number unchanged. The statement “adding zero to a number does not change it” expresses this idea exactly.

The other ideas point to different properties: multiplying by zero gives zero is about multiplication, not addition; adding one changes the value, which isn’t about the identity; and subtracting zero leaves the value the same, but subtraction is a different operation, so the clearest description of the additive identity is the addition with zero.